r. Winters.

"Bless my stars, if there isn't the team!" he exclaimed, "well my
little girl, good-bye for the present, you will see us both this
evening," and having given Miss Gladden a promise that neither he nor
his son would betray her secret, he hastened down the road to the
waiting team.

"Well, boys," he said, stopping to carefully empty the ashes from his
pipe on a projecting ledge of rock, "I will have to give you credit
for being on hand very promptly; that was about the shortest half hour
that I can remember."

A loud, ringing laugh greeted this remark, which caused Mr. Winters,
who was replacing his pipe in its case, to look up in mild wonder.

"That's one on you, father," called his son, while Mr. Blaisdell
remarked, "The time evidently has passed very pleasantly."

"What is the origin of all this mirth?" demanded Mr. Winters, as he
seated himself with considerable dignity.

"It seems," said Mr. Rivers, in explanation, "to be because you were
so unconscious of the lapse of time; we were delayed in getting
together our papers, and it is over an hour since we left the house."

"I looked for you at every turn of the road," said his son.

"I didn't," said Van Dorn, "I thought he had fallen asleep over his
pipe; I never dreamed he was disgracing the whole crowd of us by such
open flirtation as that,--I wish we had brought along a chaperon."

"Well, gentlemen," said Mr. Winters very deliberately, "all I have to
say is, that had you been in my place, the time would have seemed
equally short to you, and I don't think there's one of you but would
have been mighty glad to have been in my place."

"Mr. Winters," said Mr. Blaisdell, "I begin to think you're the
youngest man of our party."

CHAPTER XVII.

With many jokes and much hilarity, the mining party proceeded on their
way. Arriving at the mines, they found Morgan and Haight awaiting
them, who were duly introduced to the party, the English expert
looking at Haight with much the same expression with which a mastiff
might regard a rat terrier.

Everything being in readiness, they began the descent of the long
incline shaft, Mr. Blaisdell and Haight leading the way with Mr.
Lindlay, while Mr. Rivers followed with Mr. Winters and his son and
Van Dorn, Morgan bringing up the rear.

It was nearly three hours before they reappeared at the surface, and
to a physiognomist, their faces, as they emerged from the mouth of the
shaft, would have furnish